Stationary transfer platform and cleaning device for supply transport device

ABSTRACT

A stationary platform for supporting a supply transport device is provided. The stationary platform includes a frame having at least two longitudinal sides, a first end and a second opposing end, and a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of legs extending from the bottom surface of the frame to support the supply transport device on the frame. The supply transport device is slidably received on the top surface of the frame. A wheel base assembly having a cleaning device for contacting a bottom surface of the supply transport device, to remove dirt and debris from or to disinfect the supply transport device, is also provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/190,682, filed Jun. 23, 2016, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/979,330,filed Dec. 22, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Nos. 62/096,648, filed Dec. 24, 2014, and No. 62/109,873,filed Jan. 30, 2015. The entire contents of those applications areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of clean room equipment. Moreparticularly, the present invention is directed to equipment for thetransport and temporary holding or storage of items from a non-sterileenvironment to a sterile environment and vice versa

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A controlled environment (such as a clean room) is an area orenvironment in which the level of contaminants or particles iscontrolled, such as by filtering particulate matter from air that entersthe room. Controlled environments have low levels of contaminants orparticles, and are used to manufacture certain products and conductresearch. These controlled environments are used to ensure that organicand inorganic contaminants from the outside environments do notcompromise the goods or equipment being manufactured or utilized.However, it can be difficult to transport into the controlledenvironment, the various items (such as supplies, raw materials, etc.)that are needed in the controlled environment to assist in themanufacture, without contaminating the controlled environment orotherwise introducing particles into the controlled environment.

Clean rooms can also use such features as positive pressure and humiditycontrols to optimize the environment for the task for which they havebeen designed. Clean rooms can have a variety of sizes, and can alsohave an airlock or staging area formed outside of the entry point. Theairlock or staging area sequesters the air inside the clean room fromthe outside environment. Clean rooms are currently classified usingfiltration criteria that examines the number and size of particlesadmitted in a given air volume. Known clean room standards in the UnitedStates include US FED 209E classes, ISO 14644-1 classes, and ISO 14644-2classes. Other countries may use separate standards or guidelines.

Autoclaving is one technique for cleaning the goods and equipment thatare transported into the controlled environment. An autoclave is adevice that is used to sterilize goods and equipment through the use ofpressure and/or heat in the form of steam or superheated water.Autoclaving can also be carried out in a vacuum. Autoclaves can have avariety of sizes, depending on the media to be sterilized. Because thegoods and equipment in the autoclave are subjected to high levels ofheat, pressure, and moisture, any media subjected to such treatment mustbe able to withstand both.

Clean room personnel will often use supply transport devices, such ascarts, to transport items to/from a clean room. However, the cart cannotenter the clean room because the wheels attract dirt that wouldintroduce undesirable particles into the clean room. Consequently,personnel must stop the cart outside the clean room entry point (orinside the staging area), then manually transfer trays and/or goods fromthe cart to inside the sterile environment. A second cart can sometimesbe provided inside the clean room, and the goods can be transferredto/from the cart located inside the clean room to/from the cart locatedoutside the clean room. This transfer is necessary to ensure that thecart situated outside the clean environment does not enter andcontaminate the sterile clean room. However, such conventional, manualtransfers between environments involves a number of risks anddifficulties including: (1) the possibility that goods will be droppedor spilled; (2) the possibility that accidental handling of the goodswill compromise sterility; (3) the need for additional individuals toassist in the transfer and transport of goods; and (4) can betime-consuming and labor intensive.

Additionally, the transfer of carts requires that there be a means ofstoring carts, either within or outside of the clean room environment,when they are not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a transportthat can be used by a single operator to transport goods and equipment.Another object of the present invention is to provide a transport devicethat can be moved from an uncontrolled environment (e.g., outside aclean room) to inside a controlled environment (e.g., a clean room), andto transport goods from an uncontrolled environment to inside a cleanroom environment. It is a further object of the invention to provide acart that has a removable wheel base, such that a single operator canreplace the non-sterile wheel base with a sterile wheel base as goods orequipment are transported between an uncontrolled environment and acontrolled environment, while preventing the non-sterile wheel base fromentering the controlled environment. It is yet another object of theinvention to provide a cart that can, in its entirety, withstand theheat and pressure of standard industry autoclaves.

One aspect of the invention relates to a storage/supports means, such asa stationary platform, for a supply transport device, such as a cart,that can be used to store or support such a device either inside of oroutside of a clean room when not in use.

Accordingly, a stationary platform for supporting a supply transportdevice is provided. The stationary platform includes a frame having atleast two longitudinal sides, a first end and a second opposing end, anda top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of legs extendingfrom the bottom surface of the frame to support the supply transportdevice on the frame. The supply transport device is slidably received onthe top surface of the frame.

The invention further provides a storage and transport system whichincludes a supply transport device, a stationary platform, and a wheelbase assembly. The stationary platform includes a frame having at leasttwo longitudinal sides, a first end and a second opposing end, and a topsurface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of legs extending from thebottom surface of the frame to support the supply transport device onthe frame. The supply transport device is slidably received on the topsurface of the frame. The wheel base assembly includes a platform and aplurality of wheels attached thereto and is configured to transport asupply transport device to the stationary platform. The supply transportdevice is slidably removed from the wheel base assembly to thestationary platform for temporary holding or storage.

The invention is also directed to a wheel base assembly for transportinga supply transport device. The wheel base assembly includes a wheel basehaving a top surface, a bottom surface, and two opposing ends, whereinthe top surface of the wheel base assembly supports the supply transportdevice, a plurality of wheels coupled to the bottom surface of the wheelbase, a trough-shaped base coupled to at least one of the two opposingends of the wheel base, and at least one cleaning device positionedwithin the trough-shaped base, wherein the at least one cleaning deviceextends vertically above the top surface of the wheel base.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of theintended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent whenreference is made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the cart frame with its wheel baseremoved, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a front plan view of the cart with a removable wheel baseattached;

FIG. 2B is a side plan view of the cart with a removable wheel baseattached;

FIG. 2C is a top view of the cart with a removable wheel base attached;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the wheel base wheel assemblyof FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a side view of the top rear corner portion of the cart andthe rear wheel base locking mechanism, taken along line Z-Z of FIG. 2C,with the locking mechanism in the locked position;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the rear wheel base wheel assembly of FIG. 4A,with the locking mechanism in the unlocked position;

FIG. 5A is a top view as a cart in an uncontrolled environmentapproaches a wheel base assembly positioned in a controlled environment;

FIG. 5B is a top view as a cart moves between an uncontrolledenvironment and a controlled environment, replacing its non-sterilewheel base with a sterile wheel base;

FIG. 5C is a top view of a cart completely within a controlledenvironment, after having replaced its non-sterile wheel base with asterile wheel base;

FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of a rack used to transport the wheelbase assemblies of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6B is a top view of the rack of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a side view of the rack of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the rack in accordance with analternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7B is a front view of the rack of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a side view of the rack of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a supply cart in accordance withan alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of a tray cart in accordance with analternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10A is a front perspective view of a prior art braking mechanism;

FIG. 10B is a cutaway front perspective view of an exemplary wheel basehaving the braking mechanism illustrated in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a stationary platform being used with acart having a removable wheel base in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the stationary platform of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cart of FIG. 11 being slidablyremoved from the wheel base on to the stationary platform;

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the wheel base assembly of FIG. 3having a cleaning device attached thereto;

FIG. 14B is an expanded perspective view of the wheel base assembly ofFIG. 14A having a cleaning device attached thereto;

FIG. 15A is a perspective view of the cleaning device illustrated inFIG. 14A; and

FIG. 15B is an expanded perspective view of the cleaning device of FIG.15A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that eachspecific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similarmanner to accomplish a similar purpose. Several preferred embodiments ofthe invention are described for illustrative purposes, it beingunderstood that the invention may be embodied in other forms notspecifically shown in the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a transport device such as a cart 10 of the inventionin accordance with a non-limiting illustrative embodiment. The cart 10generally includes a main body or frame 100, a wheel base assembly 200,and a locking mechanism 300 for releasably locking the main body 100 tothe wheel base assembly 200. The cart 10 is generally shown as having anelongated, rectangular shape. The entire cart 10, including the frame100, the wheel base 200, and the locking mechanism 300, are made of amaterial that can withstand the moisture, heat, and pressure necessaryfor the entire cart 10 to be able to be autoclaved. Such materials mayinclude, but are not limited to, metals and metal alloys such as nickel,aluminum or stainless steel, resilient plastics such as polypropylene,and Pyrex type glass.

Main Frame 100

As shown, the main frame or body 100 is a rectangular, unitary piecethat defines a front transverse side or end 102, a rear transverse sideor end 104 and two longitudinal sides 106, 108. The main body 100 hasone or more horizontally-extending shelves that are each connected toand supported by four vertical support posts 120. Three shelves areprovided in the embodiment shown, including a bottom shelf 112, centershelf 114 and top shelf 116. Each of the shelves 112, 114, 116 carriesvarious items, such as goods and/or equipment. However, it is understoodthat in this and alternative embodiments of the invention may have avariable number of shelves and support posts 120, though preferably atleast one bottom shelf 112 is provided. Each of the shelves 112, 114,116 can have downwardly-turned edges that form side walls 118, whichprovide further support for the shelves 112, 114, 116. The shelves 112,114, 116 can also have upward turned sides that prevent the items beingtransported from sliding off the shelves.

The main body 100 also includes an elongated handle 130. The handle 130can be a round elongated tube that ends the entire width of the cart 10.The handle 130 is connected at the rear end 104 of the cart 10 bysupports at the two outer sides 106, 108. The handle 130 is spaced apartfrom the rear end 104 and parallel to the rear end 104 to form a gap 132between the handle 130 and the rear end 104 of the cart 10. The handle130 can be substantially at the top of the cart 10 and level with orraised up from (by the supports) the top shelf 116.

Guide wheel assemblies 140 are positioned along the downwardly-turnedside walls 118 of the bottom shelf 112. As shown in FIG. 1, four guidewheel assemblies 140 are positioned along the longitudinal side walls118, spaced apart from each other. Referring to FIG. 3, the wheelassemblies have a wheel 142 and an axle 144. The axle 144 can be a rodthat extends through an opening in the side wall 118 and is fastened tothe side wall 118 on the opposite side of the wall 118, such as by abolt or the like. Or, the axle 144 can extend the entire width of thecart 10 so that one axle 144 has two wheels 142 fixed at opposite sides118 of the cart 10. The guide wheel 142 is relatively wide, and isrotatably fixed to the axle 144 so that the guide wheel 142 rotatesfreely about the axle 144. The guide wheels 142 extend slightly belowthe side walls 118, so that they support the weight of the main body 100when slidably received on the wheel base assembly 200. The wheels 142rotate in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of themain body 100, i.e., forward/backwards. Thus, the guide wheels 142rotate when the main body 100 is slidably received and removed from thewheel base assembly 200. The axis of rotation for each of therolling-wheels 142 is perpendicular to the side wall 118 and to the axle144. Though four guide wheel assemblies 140 are shown, any suitablenumber of guide wheel assemblies can be utilized, including one or more.

Wheel Base Assembly 200

As further shown in FIGS. 1-2, the wheel base assembly 200 includeswheel assemblies 210, two parallel, longitudinal guiderails 220, a lockopening 230 located at both ends of the wheel base 200, and a platform240. The wheel assemblies 210 include a wheel frame and wheel rotatablycoupled with the wheel frame. The wheel frame is connected to the bottomof the platform 240, such that a wheel assembly 210 is provided at eachof the four corners of the cart 10 so that the cart 10 can be easilypushed and pulled by the user. At least one of the wheel assemblies 210has a wheel lock mechanism 250 (FIG. 4A) that prevents movement of thecart 10. In one embodiment, one or more of the wheel assemblies 210 areswivel mounted so that each of the wheel assemblies 210 can rotate threehundred and sixty degrees (360°) about its longitudinal axis so that thecart 10 can be pushed or pulled in any direction.

The platform 240 is sized and shaped to cooperatively receive and matewith the main body 100. Accordingly, the platform 240 is a flat,rectangular, elongated, thin sheet having a traverse rear end 242, atransverse front end 244 and two longitudinal sides 246, 248. Theplatform 240 has a flat top surface 241 that is a single continuoussheet. However, the platform 240 can be comprised of one or moreelongated slats that extend the full length of the wheel base assembly200 from the front end 244 to the rear end 242. The platform 240 andwheel base assembly 200 are relatively low to the ground (3-8 inches,depending on the size of the wheels) to provide a stable base upon whichthe main body 100 can be fixed. Accordingly, the wheel base assembly 200does not contain any unnecessary elements that might increase itsheight. So, the wheel base assembly 200 essentially has the wheels andthe platform 240, with the wheels attached to the bottom side or surfaceof the platform 240.

Guiderails 220 are provided at each of the longitudinal sides 246, 248of the wheel base assembly 200, and are elongated members that extendthe entire length of the wheel base assembly 200. The guiderails 220 arebest shown in FIG. 3. Each guiderail 220 has an upright portion 222,inwardly turned member 224, and an inner guide edge 226. The uprightportion 222 extends perpendicularly upward from the flat top surface 241and forms the outer edge of the guiderails 220 as well as the outermostedge of the longitudinal sides 246, 248. The inwardly turned member 224extends perpendicularly inwardly with respect to the wheel base assembly200 so that the inwardly turned member 224 is substantially parallel toand spaced apart from the top surface 241 of the platform 240. The topsurface 241, upright portion 222 and inwardly turned portion 224 aremetal (such as steel) walls that form a general U-shape turned on itsside. A channel 227 is formed between the inwardly turned member 224 andthe top surface 241 of the platform.

As shown, the upright portion 222 spaces the inwardly turned portion 224apart from the top surface 241 of the platform 240 so that the guideedge 226 is aligned of the top of the rolling-wheel guide assemblies 140that are attached to the side wall 118 of the main body 100. The guidewheels 142 slide along the guiderails 220 (longitudinally) as the wheels142 rotate. The rolling-wheel guides 140 support, transport, and guidethe main body 100 to slide along the platform 240, and allow the wheelbase assembly 200 to slide beneath the main body 100. The rolling-wheelguides 140 allow the main body 100 to slidably engage the wheel baseassembly 200 in a longitudinal direction. It will be appreciated,however, that the main body 100 and wheel base assembly 200 can beconfigured so that the main body 100 slidably engages the wheel baseassembly in a side-to-side fashion in a transverse direction.

The guide wheel assemblies 140 prevent the main body 100 from comingfree of the wheel base assembly 200 during use, and to guide the mainbody 100 when slidably received or removed from a wheel base assembly200. As shown in FIG. 3, the wheels 142 extend downward slightly belowthe bottom of the side wall 118. Accordingly, the wheels 142 slide onthe top surface 242 of the wheel base assembly 200. The wheels 142 arefurther received in the channel 227 formed between the topinwardly-turned portion 224 and the top surface 242 of the platform 240.The top member 224 forms a ledge that prevents the wheels 142 fromcoming free. The top member 224 retains the wheels 142 in the channel227 and the wheels 142 can only slide forward and backward on the topsurface 242 of the platform. Thus, the main body 100 cannot come free ofthe wheel base assembly 200 by being lifted upward with respect to thewheel base assembly 200, such as if the cart 10 were to tip or be liftedby the users. Rather, the main body 100 can only be separated from thewheel base assembly 200 by unlocking the lock mechanism 300 and slidingthe main body 100 forward or backward so that the wheels 142 come out ofthe ends of the channels 227.

It is noted that the guiderails 200 need not be aligned with thedownwardly-turned sides 118, but instead can just cooperatively engagethe vertical posts 120 of the main body 100. The guiderails 220 can beformed, for instance, by bending the sides 246, 248 of the platform 240,so that the guiderails are integral with the platform 240. The front andrear corners 228 of the guiderails 220 are beveled to guide the mainbody 100 inwardly to between the inner edges 226 of the two guiderails220 as the main body 100 initially slides onto the wheel base assembly200. In addition, the wheels 142 need not support the weight of the mainbody 100, but rather can be positioned above the bottom edge of the sidewalls 118. In this manner, the side walls 118 would slide on the topsurface 242 of the platform 240 and the wheels 142 would guide the mainbody 100 and prevent the main body 100 from separating from the wheelbase assembly 200.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B, further detail of the locking mechanism300 is shown. The locking mechanism 300 includes a vertical rod 302, arelease knob 304, an upper stop 306, a lower stop 308, a spring 310, andan upper guide hole 124. The vertical rod 302 extends the entire heightof the main body 100. A handle such as a knob 304 is positioned at aproximal end of the rod 302. The vertical rod 302 is coupled with themain body 100 of the cart 10 at the rear end 104 of the cart 10. The rod302 is slidably fastened to the main body 100 by an upper support member320 and a lower support member 330. The upper support member 320 isfixedly attached at the top portion of the main body 100. In theembodiment shown, the upper support member 320 is fastened to the uppershelf 116 (such as the side wall 118 of the upper shelf 116) and canalso be fastened to the inside of the handle 130. The upper supportmember 320 can be positioned in the gap 132 between the handle 130 andthe top shelf 116. The lower support member 330 is fixedly attached atthe bottom portion of the main body 100. In the embodiment shown, thelower support member 330 is fastened to the lower shelf 112, such as theside wall 118 of the lower shelf 112.

The upper support member 320 has a central opening or upper through-hole322 and the lower support member 330 has a central opening or lowerthrough-hole 332. The upper and lower through-holes 322, 332 areslightly larger than the diameter of the rod 302 so that the rod 302snugly fits in the holes 322, 332. Accordingly, the rod 302 is receivedin the upper and lower through-holes 322, 332. The holes 332, 332 arelarge enough so that the rod 302 can freely slide up and down within theholes 322, 332, but not too large to allow the rod 302 to wiggle.

The upper stop member 306 is provided about a top portion of the rod 302and is fixedly attached to rod 302. The upper stop member 306 ispositioned below the upper support member 320 a sufficient distance topermit the spring 310 to be provided between the upper stop member 306and the upper support member 320. Accordingly, the spring 310 ispositioned about the rod 302 between the bottom surface of the uppersupport member 320 and the top surface of the upper stop member 306. Thespring 310 has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the upperhole 322, but smaller than the width of the upper support member 320.The diameter of the spring 310 is also smaller than the diameter of theupper stop member 306. The spring 310 is slightly compressed so itpushes outwardly against the bottom surface of the upper support member320 and the top surface of the upper stop member 306.

Thus, the upper stop 306 is fixed to the rod 302 and the rod 302 slideswithin the upper support member 320, which is fixedly attached to themain body 100. The outwardly-biased spring 310 pushes the rod 302downwardly (by virtue of pushing downward on upper stop member 306 whichis fixed to rod 302) so that a distal end portion 312 of the rod 302 isforced downward to engage into the lock opening 230 of the wheel baseassembly 200, as shown in FIG. 4A. The lower stop member 308 is fixedlycoupled to the rod 302 at the bottom portion of the rod 302, andprevents the rod 302 from extending too far downward within the openings332, 230 and hitting the ground or otherwise interfering with operationof the cart 10.

When the rod 302 is received in the lock opening 230 of the wheel baseassembly 200, the cart 10 is in a locked position, whereby the wheelbase assembly 200 is locked to the main body 100. In the lockedposition, the main body 100 remains fixed to the wheel base assembly 200by the cooperative engagement of the locking mechanism 300 in the lockopening 230, as well as by the bottom portion (the bottom shelf 112and/or support posts 120) being positioned between the guiderail members220. Accordingly the wheel base assembly 200 will move together with themain body 100 as the user pushes/pulls the cart handle 130.

The proximal end of the rod 302 and the knob 304 extend up above the topsurface of the top shelf 116 and the cart handle 130. The knob 304 islocated so that the operator of the cart 100 is able to easily reach andoperate the wheel base locking mechanism 300 while still gripping thehandle 130.

The user can lift up on the knob 304 in the direction Y against the biasof the spring 310, as shown in FIG. 4B. This action causes the distalend portion 312 of the rod 302 to withdraw from the locking hole 230 ofthe wheel base assembly 200. In this position, the cart 10 is in anunlocked state or position, whereby the wheel base assembly 200 is nolonger locked to the main body 100. The guiderails 220 still prevent themain body 100 from move transversely or laterally with respect to thewheel base assembly 200. However, the main body 100 can slide in alongitudinal direction X (FIGS. 1, 4B). More specifically, the bottomsurface of the bottom shelf 112 slides along the top surface 241 of theplatform 240. Because both surfaces are smooth metal, the main body 100can slide without too much difficulty, even when items are loaded on theshelves 112, 114, 116. Thus, although element 112 is referred to as ashelf, it is a flat and sturdy plate that is sufficiently rigid topermit the main body 100 to slide on the platform 240. The platform 240is also a flat and sturdy plate that is sufficiently rigid to allow themain body 100 to slide on its top surface 241.

The rod 302 cannot be pulled up high enough such that the distal endportion 312 comes out of the opening 332 in the lower support member330. The rod 302 is prevented from moving upward when the spring 310 isfully compressed between the upper stop member 306 and the upper supportmember 320. In addition, the lower support member 330 can be madetaller, or an additional stop member can optionally be provided on therod 302 (such as at the distal end 312) to limit the upward movement ofthe rod 302. Still further, another support member with a through-holethat receives the rod 302 can be affixed to the main body 100 (such asthe middle shelf 114) to prevent upward movement of the lower stopmember 208 or another stop member (not shown).

Operation of Cart 10

Turning to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, operation of the cart 10 is shown. In thisnon-limiting illustrative example, the cart 10 is moved from anuncontrolled environment 5 (e.g., outside a clean room) to a controlledenvironment 7 (e.g., inside a clean room) by a single operator. Theborder or boundary 9 is shown separating the controlled environment 7and uncontrolled environment 5. The boundary 9 can be, for instance, theentrance to an airlock located outside a clean room. Or, the boundary 9can be inside the airlock and outside the entrance to the clean room.Or, the boundary 9 can be between two clean rooms having differentparticulate levels. For instance, the cart 10 can be moving from an ISO14644-1 class clean room to an ISO 14644-2 class clean room. Items (suchas goods, product and/or equipment) can be carried on the shelves 110 ofthe cart 10. These items may be sterile and exposed or sealed insidesealed packaging such as bags. FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate an operatortransporting those items into a clean room or other controlledenvironment without contamination to the items or to the controlledenvironment.

Starting with FIG. 5A, the cart 10 is located in the uncontrolledenvironment 5 and is brought to the boundary 9. The cart 10 includesboth a main body 100 and a first wheel base assembly 200 ₁, as shown inthe fully assembled embodiments of FIGS. 2A-2C. At the same time, asecond wheel base assembly 2002 is located on the other side of theboundary 9, inside the controlled environment 7. Accordingly, there aretwo wheel base assemblies 200: a first assembly 200 ₁ that is attachedto the main body 100 in the uncontrolled environment 5, and a secondassembly 200 ₂ that is by itself in the controlled environment 7. Thewheels 210 on the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂ are in the lockedposition, so that the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂ cannot move.

At this point, the operator pushes the cart 10 using the handle 130 upto the boundary line 9, so that the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁comes into contact with the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂. The userthen locks the wheels 210 of the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ so thatthe first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ cannot move. The first and secondwheel base assemblies 200 ₁, 200 ₂ are identical, so their respectiveplatforms 240 ₁, 240 ₂ are the same height as one another. The useraligns the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ with the second wheel baseassembly 200 ₂ so that the sides 246, 248 substantially align with eachother. A guide member can optionally be provided on the front end 244 ofthe first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ and/or the rear end 242 of thesecond wheel base assembly to (individually or jointly) assist the userin aligning the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ with the second wheelbase assembly 200 ₂.

Accordingly, the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ is aligned with thesecond wheel base assembly 200 ₂ , and the main body 100 (together withany items it is carrying) is ready to be moved from the first wheel baseassembly 200 ₁ to the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂. Accordingly, theuser lifts up on the knob 304 of the locking mechanism 300 (FIG. 4A)against the force of the spring 310, which withdraws the distal endportion 312 from the first lock opening 2030 ₁, thereby unlocking themain body 100 from the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁. The extent towhich the operator may lift the knob 304 is limited by the upper stop306, which compresses the spring 310 to its mechanical limit between theupper stop 306 and the surface of the upper support member 320surrounding the upper guide hole 322.

In the unlocked position, the user can push on the handle 230 so thatthe main body 100 slides along the top surface 241 ₁ of the platform 240of the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ and onto the top surface 241 ₂ ofthe platform 240 of the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂, as shown inFIG. 5B. As the main body 100 is slid onto the second wheel baseassembly 200 ₂, the first and second guiderails 220 ₁, 220 ₂ guide themain body 100 in the longitudinal direction X (FIG. 4B). The supportposts 120 may come into contact with the beveled corners 228 of thesecond guiderail 220 ₂, and the beveled corners 228 direct the main body100 to come within the second guiderails 220 ₂. Once the main body 100is pushed slightly off the first wheel base assembly 100 ₁, the rod 302is no longer aligned with the lock opening 230, so the user can releasethe knob 304. The distal end 312 will be pushed back down by the forceof the spring 310, and will ride along the top surfaces 241 ₁, 241 ₂ ofthe respective platforms 240. A catch can be optionally provided to holdthe knob in the upright position so that the user need not hold it.

The user continues to push on the handle 130 until the main body 100 isfully positioned on the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂ inside thecontrolled environment 7. Because the wheels on the second wheel baseassembly 200 ₂ are locked, the wheel base assembly 200 ₂ remainsstationary and does not move as the main body is being slid onto it.Here, it is noted that although both the first and second wheel bases200 ₁, 200 ₂ are locked, only the second wheel base 200 ₂ needs to belocked. However, the first wheel base 200 ₁ can also be locked tofurther prevent motion of the first wheel base 200 ₁ during the transferoperation. And, the first wheel base 200 ₁ will then be locked and readyto accept the main body 100 again when the user exits the controlledenvironment 7. Once the main body 100 is fully received on the secondwheel base assembly 200 ₂, the rod 302 will be aligned (by the inneredges 226 of the guiderails 220 ₂) with the lock opening 230 ₂ and willautomatically enter the lock opening 230 ₂ under the outward (downward)force of the spring 210.

At that point, the main body 100 is locked to the second wheel baseassembly 200 ₂ (with the sterile wheels) inside the controlledenvironment 7, and the first wheel base assembly 200 ₁ (with theunsterile wheels) remains in the uncontrolled environment 5. As shown inFIG. 5C, the wheels of the second wheel base assembly 200 ₂ can then beunlocked by the user, and the cart 10 (with the main body 100 and thesecond wheel base assembly 200 ₂) can be maneuvered inside the cleanroom 7 so that the items can be delivered to the appropriate locationinside the clean room 7. It is noted that during the transfer operationof FIGS. 5A-5C, the items remain on the shelves 112, 114, 116 of thecart 10 and need not be removed. In addition, the main body 100 nevertouches the ground, but instead moves directly from the first platformsurface 240 ₁ to the second platform surface 240 ₂.

The process described can also be executed identically in reverse, i.e.,when the cart 10 travels from the controlled environment 7 to theuncontrolled environment 5. At all times, however, the sterile andnon-sterile wheel bases remain sequestered in their respectiveenvironments, preventing any cross-contamination of particulate matterwhile the cart 10 moves between these environments. The wheel bases aresubstantially identical so that they are exchangeable with one anotherand the frame 100 can be readily moved from one wheel base assembly toanother without having to reconfigure the main body 100. In addition,openings 230 are located at both the front and rear ends 244, 242 of thewheel base assemblies 200, so that the main body 100 can be placed onthe wheel base assembly 200 from either direction.

Thus, the cart 10 enables items to be carried on the shelves 112, 114,116. Those items remain on the shelves 112, 114, 116 as the cart 10 ismoved between an uncontrolled environment and a controlled environment.In this way, a user need not manually remove the items from the cart tobring the items into the clean room, while leaving the cart outside ofthe clean room. And, the wheels that are used in the uncontrolledenvironment do not enter the controlled environment. Rather, the wheelsused in the controlled environment remain inside the controlledenvironment and do not leave the controlled environment. Accordingly,the cart wheels are not introducing particles into the controlledenvironment.

As discussed and shown above, a single locking mechanism 300 is providedthat is mostly located on the main body 100 and only an opening 230 isneeded on the wheel base assembly 200. However, any suitable number andconfigurations can be provided. For instance, multiple lockingmechanisms can be provided, located at one or more sides 106, 108 orends 102, 104 of the main body frame 100. And, the locking mechanism caninclude a fastener or mating locking mechanism on the wheel baseassembly that cooperatively engages a locking mechanism on the main body100. Still further, the locking mechanism 300 need not have a long rod302, but can have a short rod with the knob just above the bottom shelf112 so that the user must bend down to lift the knob.

In addition, the invention is shown as having a bottom shelf 112 thatslides on the top surface 241 of the platform 240, so that any items onthe shelf 112 are moved onto the new wheel base assembly. However, othervariations can be provided. As mentioned above, the platform 240 can beslats or the like. And, instead of a bottom shelf 112, the posts 120 canhave wheels. Or, elongated longitudinal supports can be provided withroller bearings that engage mating roller bearings on the wheel baseassembly (such that guiderails are not needed).

Another feature of the invention is that the entire cart 10 is made ofmaterials that can be autoclaved. Thus, the entire cart 10 and any itemsit carries, can be placed in an autoclave and sterilized. Still furthervariations of the cart 10 can be provided within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Although the invention is described as having a wheelbase assembly 200 that is completely separate from the main body 100,other embodiments of the invention can be provided within the invention.For instance, the main body 100 can have multiple sets ofinterchangeable wheels, so that one set of wheels is used in the cleanenvironment and one set of wheels is used outside the clean environment.The wheels can be separately removable so that each wheel is replacedone at a time, or the two front wheels and two rear wheels can each becoupled together so that the front wheels can be replaced at one timeand the rear wheels can be replaced at one time. Or the wheels canremain fixed to the main body and operated by a lever to raise one setof wheels and lower the other set of wheels. For instance, a wheelassembly can have two wheels each fixed to a pivot plate that pivotsbetween one of the wheels being lower and the other wheel raised.

Storage/Transport Cart or Rack 600, 700

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C. As shownin FIG. 6A, the invention includes a wheel base transport cart or rack600 that may be used to store and/or transport one or more wheel baseassemblies 200 to and retain in an autoclave. The rack 600 is generallyformed of a bottom portion 602 and at least one handle assembly 604. Thebottom portion 602 may be formed of a flat, rectangular, elongated,plate that has an upper surface 606 and a bottom surface 608. The bottomportion 602 of the rack 600 is sized and configured to accommodatemultiple wheel base assemblies 200 and to allow it to fit within anautoclave. The handle assembly 604 may be formed of poles or rods 612and a handle 610. The poles 612 may extend perpendicularly (as shown inFIG. 6A) or at an angle from the upper surface 606 of an end 610 of thebottom portion 602. The poles 612 and the handle 610 are formedintegrally with or attached to each other. As shown in FIG. 6C, thehandle 610 is formed integrally with the poles 612 and extends at anangle from the top of the poles 612. The handle 610 allows a user topush the rack 600.

According to one embodiment, the bottom portion 602 and handle assembly604 (including handle 610 and poles 612) are formed of material whichmay be autoclaved, including, but not limited to, metals and metalalloys such as nickel, aluminum, or stainless steel, resilient plasticssuch as polypropylene, and Pyrex®-type glass (i.e.,low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass). Thus, the entire rack 600(and any wheel base assemblies 200 being held by the rack 600) may beautoclaved.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the rack 600 includes a plurality of poles or posts614 extending upwardly from the upper surface 606 of the bottom portion602 of the rack 600. The posts may be formed integrally with the bottomportion 602 of the rack 600, or they may be coupled to the upper surface606 of the bottom portion 602 by pins, screws, or the like. The posts614 may have a circular cross-sectional shape or may have any othercross-sectional shape that allows them to securely hold the wheel baseassemblies 200 and fit within the channels 227 of the guiderails 220,such as a square, oval or octagonal cross-sectional shape. In oneembodiment, the posts 614 are configured in pairs along a length (L₁) ofthe bottom portion 602 of the rack 600 with each pair in a row thatextends transverse across the rack 600. Each post 614 of the pair isspaced apart from the other post 614 such that a first post 614 of apair engages a channel 227 of the guiderail 220 of the wheel baseassembly 200 on one longitudinal side 246, while the other of the posts614 of the pair engages the channel 227 of the guiderail 200 on theother longitudinal side 248 of the wheel base assembly 200. The posts614 have a height that is sufficient to securely hold the wheel baseassemblies 200 in place, such as at least half the length (L₂) of thewheel base assembly 200.

While FIG. 6A depicts a total of twelve posts 614 to accommodate sixwheel base assemblies 200, the invention is not particularly limited toany number of posts 614. The rack 600 is designed to allow for theautoclaving of multiple wheel base assemblies 200 at a time, so aplurality of posts 614 is preferred. Like the bottom portion 602 andhandle assembly 604 of the rack 600, the posts 614 are also formed ofmaterials which may be autoclaved, such as those discussed herein.

The posts 614 are configured to hold each of the wheel base assemblies200 in a vertical position on the rack 600. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B,the posts 614 are positioned within the channels 227 of the longitudinalguiderails 220 of either longitudinal side 246, 248 of the wheel baseassembly 200, such that the flat top surface 241 (see FIG. 1) of thewheel base assembly 200 is oriented perpendicularly to the bottomportion 602 of the rack 600. The posts 614 have a cross-sectional sizeand shape that allows them to fit within the channels 227 snugly, so asto secure the wheel base assemblies 200 in place, without having toforce the wheel base assemblies 200 down into the posts 614. The wheelbase assemblies 200 should be secure enough that they may be movedaround on the rack 600 without tipping or falling off. As shown in FIG.3, each guiderail 200 is formed of an inwardly turned member 224 thatengages the post 614 and prevents the wheel base assembly 200 frommoving forward or backward on the rack 600, and an upright portion 222that engages the post 614 and prevents the wheel base assembly 200 frommoving side-to-side on the rack 600. In this way, the wheel baseassemblies 200 are prevented from moving forward or backward orside-to-side on the rack 600 so that they do not come free.

The wheel base assemblies 200 are arranged vertically on the rack 600 sothat the rack 600 may accommodate multiple wheel base assemblies 200 (asshown in FIG. 6C) without requiring a rack 600 that is too large to beeasily moveable by the user or to fit within an autoclave. The wheelbase assemblies 200 are positioned on the rack 600 parallel to oneanother in a stacked relationship. In operation, the user will slideeach of the wheel base assemblies 200 down onto the rack 600 by aligningthe openings of the channels 227 of the guiderails 220 on eachlongitudinal side 246, 248 with two adjacent posts 614. The posts 614may be guided down into the channels 227 by the beveled front and rearcorners 228 (see FIG. 3) of the guiderails 220. The top of the posts 614can also be rounded or tapered to further guide the wheel base assembly200 onto the posts 614. As shown in FIG. 6C, the wheels 210 of the wheelbase assembly 200 may face the handle assembly 604 of the rack, but theymay also be oriented to face in the opposite direction.

The rack 600 may include a plurality of wheels 616 coupled to the bottomsurface 608 of the bottom portion 602, so that the rack 600 may bephysically moved from one location to another, such as from an outsideenvironment into an autoclave or clean room environment. The wheels 616may be positioned at each corner of the bottom surface 602 of the bottomportion 602 to ensure stability of the rack 600.

In this way, the rack 600 is sized and configured to store, hold andtransport multiple wheel base assemblies 200, so as to efficientlyautoclave multiple wheel base assemblies 200 simultaneously. However,the rack 600 may also be sized and configured to transport other devicesfor simultaneously autoclaving.

Turning to FIGS. 7A-7C, a rack 700 is shown in accordance with analternative embodiment of the invention. The cart or rack 700 may beused to store and/or transport one or more wheel base assemblies 200 toand retain in an autoclave. The rack 700 is sized and configured toaccommodate multiple wheel base assemblies 200 and to allow it to fitwithin an autoclave. According to one embodiment, the entire rack 700are formed of material which may be autoclaved, including, but notlimited to, metals and metal alloys such as nickel, aluminum, orstainless steel, resilient plastics such as polypropylene, andPyrex®-type glass (i.e., low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass).Thus, the entire rack 700 can be autoclaved, together with any wheelbase assemblies 200 being held by the rack 700.

The rack 700 has a frame with a base frame portion 702, top frameportion 704, and four side support poles 706. The bottom and top frameportions 702, 704 can each be formed by four elongated support membersthat are connected together in a square shape having an open center.Thus, the top frame portion 704 has a front support member 704 a, rearsupport member 704 c, and side support members 704 b, 704 d.Alternatively, the bottom and/or top frame portions 702, 704 can besolid plates.

As best shown in FIG. 7C, the top frame portion 704 can be smaller thanthe bottom frame portion 702, and the side support poles 706 can extendsubstantially vertically upward and angled inward slightly to connecteach corner of the bottom frame portion 702 to the respective corner ofthe top frame portion 704. The wider base frame portion 702 providesgreater stability, and the smaller top frame portion 704 allows foreasier insertion and removal of the wheel base assemblies 200. Thesupport poles 706 forms an internal space having a front opening 707 aand a rear opening 707 b.

As shown in FIG. 7B, one or more hooks 710 are provided. The hooks 710are coupled to the bottom of the top frame portion 704. In oneembodiment, a plurality of hooks 710 are coupled to the front and rearsupport members 704 a, c, and are spaced from one another so that awheel base assembly 200 can fit between the neighboring hooks 710. Eachhook 710 on the front support member 704 a are aligned with a respectivehook 710 on the rear support member 704 c, to form a respective pair.The hooks 710 can have a general J-shape so they extend downward fromthe supports 704 a, 704 c, then curve back upward and form an upwardlyturned lip 712. The hooks 710 extend substantially parallel to a centrallongitudinal axis of the front and rear supports 704 a, 704 c.

In this manner, one or more wheel base assemblies 200 can be releasableengaged with the cart 700 by hanging each wheel base assembly on arespective pair of hooks 710. More specifically, the hooks 710 canreleasably engage one of the guiderails 220 of the wheel base assembly200, so that the assembly 200 hangs vertically sideways. The hooks 710hook onto the inwardly turned top member 224 so that the inner guideedge 226 rests on the hook 710. When the wheel base assembly 200 ispositioned on the hooks 710, the hook lip 712 extends upward into theguide channel 227, so that the wheel base assembly 200 cannot be removedwithout the user lifting the wheel base assembly upward to come over thelip 712.

Thus, the rack 700 holds multiple wheel base assemblies 200 at one time,with the wheel base assemblies 200 extending substantially parallel toone another, and perpendicularly on the rack relative to the bottomframe portion. As shown in FIG. 7B, the wheel base assemblies 200 arebetween the two sides of the rack 700. As shown in FIG. 7C, the wheelbase assemblies 200 extend outward beyond the front and rear of the cart700 so that the assemblies 200 can be grasped by a user and easilyhanged and removed from the hooks 710. In operation, the user grabs anassembly 200 about the guiderail 220 and can insert his fingers into thechannel 227. The user then inserts the assembly 200 in through the frontor rear opening 707 a, b of the rack between the respective front orrear support poles 706, then lifts the assembly 200 over the lip 712 andlets the assembly down onto the hook 710. The process is reversed toremove the assembly 200 from the rack 700.

The rack 700 may include a plurality of wheels 716 coupled to the bottomsurface of the bottom frame portion 702, so that the rack 700 may bephysically moved from one location to another, such as from an outsideenvironment into an autoclave or clean room environment. The wheels 716may be positioned at each corner of the bottom frame portion 702 toensure stability of the rack 700. The user can pull and/or push the rack700 by grabbing one of the support members 704 a, b, c, d.

In this way, the rack 700 is sized and configured to store, hold andtransport multiple wheel base assemblies 200, so as to efficientlyautoclave multiple wheel base assemblies 200 simultaneously. However,the rack 700 may also be sized and configured to transport other devicesfor simultaneously autoclaving.

Supply Transport/Storage Cart 800

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 8. In thisembodiment, a supply transport/storage cart 800 (the “supply cart 800”)may be used to transport and store cans, bottles, or other bulky oruniquely-shaped supplies to and from a clean room environment. Thesupply cart 800 may utilize the wheel base assembly 200 set forth hereinto allow it to be moved from one location to another, but the body ofthe supply cart 800 is different than those embodiments illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2A-C.

The main body 802 of the supply cart 800 is a rectangular, unitary piecethat defines a front transverse side or end 804, a rear transverse sideor end 806 and two opposing longitudinal sides 808, 810 so as to form aframe. The body 802 has four corner vertical support posts 812 thatextend upwards from the wheel base assembly 200, although any number ofsupport posts 812 may be used. In one embodiment, the vertical supportposts 812 extend upwards from a bottom surface 813 of the body 802. Thebottom surface 813 may be a substantially flat surface that extendsbetween each of the vertical support posts 812. In yet a differentembodiment, the body 802 may have no bottom surface 813, such that it issimply formed as a frame having the vertical support posts 812 connectedby horizontal cross members, as discussed below.

In one embodiment, the main body 802 further includes guide wheelassemblies (not shown) at a base of the main body 802, such as guidewheel assemblies 140, that allow the main body 802 to be slidablyreceived and removed from the wheel base assembly 200. In an embodimentwhere the body 802 includes the bottom surface 813, the guide wheelassemblies may be aligned along an outer edge (not shown) of the bottomsurface 813. In an embodiment where the body 802 includes no bottomsurface 813, the guide wheel assemblies may be coupled to bottom crossbars (not shown) that extends between the vertical support posts 812from the front end 804 to the rear end 806.

The supply cart 800 may be received on and removed from the wheel baseassembly 200 in the same manner as cart 10 and as illustrated in FIGS.5A-C. In this embodiment, the body 802 is sized and shaped tocooperatively receive and mate with the wheel base assembly 200 via themechanisms set forth herein with respect to cart 10, including thelocking mechanism 300 which releasably locks the body 802 to the wheelbase assembly 200. If the body 802 includes the bottom surface 813, thebottom surface 813 is slidably received on the top surface 241 of theplatform 240 of the wheel base assembly 200. Otherwise, the bottom crossbars may be sturdy enough that they slide over the top surface 241 ofthe platform 200 of the wheel base assembly 200 and support the supplycart 800 thereon.

In an alternative embodiment, the body 802 of the supply cart 800 isformed integrally with the wheel base assembly 200.

The main body 802 further includes a plurality of horizontal crossmembers 814 that extend between each of the vertical support posts 812at different heights so as to form side rails. As illustrated in FIG. 8,the body 802 has a total of twelve horizontal cross members 814,although any number of horizontal cross members 814 may be used for aparticular application. In this embodiment, four horizontal crossmembers 814 a extend between the four vertical support posts 812 to forma rectangular shape directly above the wheel base assembly 200. Anotherfour horizontal cross members 814 b extend between the four verticalsupport posts 812 to form another rectangular shape directly above thefour horizontal cross members 814 a. In this way, cans, bottles, orother supplies may be placed on the bottom surface 813 of the body 802of the supply cart 800 and are held in place by the horizontal crossmembers 814 a, 814 b so that they do not fall off the supply cart 800.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the horizontal crossmembers 814 a, 814 b form a hinged door (not shown) at the rear end 806of the supply cart 800. In another embodiment, the hinged door may beformed at the front end 804 or either side 808, 810.

Four additional horizontal cross members 814 c, 814 d extend between twoof the vertical support posts 812, such that cross members 814 d aredirectly above cross members 814 c. In this way, taller cans, bottles,and other supplies may be held in place on the wheel base assembly 200without falling off the front transverse end 804 and rear transverse end806 of the supply cart 800. In one embodiment, cans, for example, can betied to cross members 814 c, 814 d, to keep them in place. A handlesimilar to handle 130 may be used to allow the user to push the supplycart 800. In another embodiment, the user may push the supply cart 800by handle 1026, discussed more fully below with respect to FIG. 10B. Inyet another embodiment, the user may push or pull the supply cart 800using horizontal cross members 814 c, 814 d.

The supply cart 800 is preferably formed of a material that canwithstand the moisture, heat, and pressure necessary for the entiresupply cart 800 to be able to be autoclaved. Such materials include, butare not limited to, metals and metal alloys such as nickel, aluminum, orstainless steel, resilient plastics such as polypropylene, and Pyrextype glass.

Tray Transport/Storage Cart 900

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 9. In thisembodiment, a tray transport/storage cart 900 (the “tray cart 900”) maybe used to transport flat trays to and from a clean room environment orstore flat trays inside or outside of a clean room. The tray cart 900may utilize the wheel base assembly 200 set forth herein to allow it tobe moved from one location to another, but the body of the tray cart 900is different than those embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A-C and 8.

The main body 902 of the tray cart 900 is a rectangular, unitary piecethat defines a front transverse side or end 904, a rear transverse sideor end 906 and two opposing longitudinal sides 908, 910 so as to form aframe. In one embodiment, the main body 902 includes cross members thatextend along the base of the longitudinal sides 908, 910. Each of thesecross members may include guide wheel assemblies (not shown), such asguide wheel assemblies 140, that allow the main body 902 to be slidablyreceived and removed from the wheel base assembly 200. In anotherembodiment, the main body 902 includes a bottom surface 913. The bottomsurface 913 may be a substantially flat surface that extends from thefront end 904 to the rear end 906 of the body 902.

The tray cart 900 may be received on and removed from the wheel baseassembly 200 in the same manner as cart 10 and as illustrated in FIGS.5A-C. In this embodiment, the body 902 is sized and shaped tocooperatively receive and mate with the wheel base assembly 200 via themechanisms set forth herein with respect to cart 10, including thelocking mechanism 300 which releasably locks the body 802 to the wheelbase assembly 200. If the body 902 includes the bottom surface 913, thebottom surface 913 is slidably received on the top surface 241 of theplatform 240 of the wheel base assembly 200. In an embodiment where thebody 902 includes no bottom surface 913, the cross members may be sturdyenough that they slide over the top surface 241 of the platform 240 ofthe wheel base assembly 200 and support the tray cart 900 thereon.

In an alternative embodiment, the body 902 of the tray cart 900 isformed integrally with the wheel base assembly 200.

The body 902 is generally formed of at least one elongatedtray-receiving structure 912 extending between each of the longitudinalsides 908, 910 and vertically upwards from the wheel base assembly 200.If the body 902 includes a bottom surface 913, each of thetray-receiving structures 912 extends vertically upwards from the bottomsurface 913 and are joined thereto. In one embodiment, the main body 902preferably includes at least three elongated tray-receiving structures912. As illustrated in FIG. 9, each of the tray-receiving structures 912has a rectangular shape. Each of the tray-receiving structures 912 maybe joined by a rectangular top joining member 911, such that each of thetray-receiving structures 912 is secured together. If the body 902includes the bottom surface 913, each of the tray-receiving structures912 is secured together at the bottom surface 913 as well. If there isno bottom surface 913, each of the tray-receiving structures 912 may befurther joined by a rectangular bottom joining member.

The tray-receiving structures 912 include a plurality of opposingperpendicularly-extending lips 916, which function as a tray support.Each opposing lip 916 is positioned at the same height along the heightof the tray-receiving structure 912 such that the trays, when placed oneach of the opposing ledges or lips 916, are positioned evenly andgenerally parallel to the ground. In this way, each set of opposing lips916 creates a slot 914 for the tray to be placed. The trays may be keptin the slots 914 so that they can be stored or transported via the traycart 900. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the opposing lips 916 are arrangedsuch that they create a plurality of stacked slots 914. In oneembodiment, each of the tray-receiving structures 912 has at least eight(8) slots 914, such that the entire tray cart 900 can hold at least 24trays at one time, but any number of tray-receiving structures 912 andslots 914 may be used for a particular sized tray cart 900.

A handle similar to handle 130 may be used to allow the user to push thetray cart 900. In another embodiment, the user may push the tray cart900 by handle 1026, discussed more fully below with respect to FIG. 10B.In yet another embodiment, the tray cart 900 may include a handle 917 atthe rear end 906 (as illustrated in FIG. 9) or at end front end 904.

Similar to the supply cart 800, the tray cart 900 is preferably formedof a material that can withstand the moisture, heat, and pressurenecessary for the entire supply cart 800 to be able to be autoclaved.Such materials include, but are not limited to, metals and metal alloyssuch as nickel, aluminum, or stainless steel, resilient plastics such aspolypropylene, and Pyrex type glass.

Each of the supply cart 800 and tray cart 900 are examples of types ofcarts that may be used together with the wheel base assembly 200. Thecommon feature between each of these designs is that each preferablyincludes a bottom surface (813, 913) that is slidably received on thetop surface 241 of the platform 240 of the wheel base assembly 200. Inthis way, the wheel base assembly 200 can be used to transport a varietyof different types of carts and the carts may be easily swapped out orexchanged for other types of carts. Additionally, other types of cartshaving other main body designs may also utilize the wheel base assembly200 of the invention. It is further contemplated that other mechanismsfor locking the carts to the wheel base assembly 200 may be utilized,including pins, screws, and other known coupling mechanisms.

Braking Mechanism

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 10A-B. A wheeland braking mechanism 1000 (the “braking mechanism 1000”) may beincorporated together with the wheel base assembly 200 for use with anyof the carts disclosed herein, including cart 10 (FIG. 1), supply cart800 (FIG. 8) and tray cart 900 (FIG. 9), or with the wheel basetransport cart or rack 600. In one embodiment, the braking mechanism1000 may be used with other types of carts separate from the inventionof FIGS. 1-9.

The braking mechanism 1000 may be formed integrally with the wheel baseassembly 200 or wheel base transport rack 600, or it may be fitted tothe wheel base assembly 200 or wheel base transport rack 600 after theirmanufacture. If the latter method is used, the braking mechanism 1000may be coupled to the wheel base assembly 200 or wheel base transportrack 600 in the place of the wheel assemblies 210 or wheels 616,respectively. The embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 10A-B can be usedtogether with or as an alternative to the wheel lock mechanism 250 ofFIG. 4A.

As illustrated in FIG. 10A (prior art), the braking mechanism 1000generally includes a wheel 1002, a swivel caster 1004, a platform 1006,and a stop brake 1008. The wheel 1002 is coupled to the swivel caster1004, which in turn is coupled to a bottom surface of platform 1006,which in turn may be coupled to the wheel base assembly 200 or wheelbase transport rack 600 via a top surface of the platform.

The stop brake 1008 is formed of an L-shaped body having a first end1020 and a second opposing end 1022. When in an “open” position, thefirst end 1020 is parallel with the platform 1006, and the second end1022 is perpendicular to the top surface 1007 of the platform 1006. Whenthe stop brake 1008 is rotated into a “closed” position, the second end1022 of the stop brake 1008 activates a stopping mechanism (not shown)that applies a force against the wheel 1002 so as to stop the wheel 1002from being able to rotate, such as by frictional forces. As such, whenin the closed position, the stop brake 1008 restricts or prohibits thewheel 1002 from rotating so as to lock it in place, and the wheel baseassembly 200 or wheel base transport rack 600 is therefore stopped fromany further movement. When the stop brake is rotated into its openposition, the second end 1022 deactivates the stopping mechanism (notshown) to allow the wheel 1002 to freely rotate, thus allowing the wheelbase assembly 200 or wheel base transport rack 600 to be moved again.

To control the operation of the stop brake 1008, a control or actuationmechanism 1010 is provided, as illustrated in the cutaway of FIG. 10B.In this Figure, the braking mechanism 1000 is illustrated for use withthe wheel base assembly 200, but the braking mechanism 1000 may be usedtogether with any wheel base assembly, cart, or rack disclosed herein,or any cart or transport device having a wheel assembly. The actuationmechanism 1010 generally includes a horizontal bar 1024 and an inverted,U-shaped handle 1026. In one embodiment, the horizontal bar 1024 has agenerally circular cross-sectional shape. In other embodiments, thehandle 1026 need not be U-shaped, but may take any shape that is able tobe gripped by a user.

In this embodiment, the horizontal bar 1024 is positioned at an end(such as the traverse rear end 242 or transverse front end 244) of thewheel base assembly 200 and extends between each side (such aslongitudinal sides 246, 248) of the wheel base assembly 200. TheU-shaped handle 1026 extends from a surface of the horizontal bar 1024vertically upwards, preferably to a comfortable height that allows auser to grab the handle 1026 to move the wheel base assembly 200, butnot too high that it obstructs the user being able to pull/push the cart10 by holding onto the body frame 100. The user can optionally grab thehandle 1026 to pull/push the cart 10, though preferably grabs the bodyframe 100 and only uses the handle 1026 for braking. In one embodiment,the U-shaped handle 1026 is formed integrally with the horizontal bar1024. In another embodiment, the handle 1026 is coupled to thehorizontal bar 1024 using any known attachment methods, such as bywelding or with bolts or screws.

The horizontal bar 1024 is coupled to the first end 1020 of the stopbrake 1008, as illustrated in FIG. 10B. In one embodiment, thehorizontal bar 1024 is welded to the first end 1020 of the stop brake1008. The horizontal bar 1024 is linear and substantially parallel tothe end of the rear end 242 of the wheel base assembly 200, and is setback from the rear end 242 so that rotation of the bar 1024 isunobstructed. In operation, when a user lowers the handle 1026 towardthe floor, it causes the horizontal bar 1024 to rotate the stop brake1008 between the open and closed positions discussed above. Thus, whenthe handle 1026 is lowered, the second end 1022 of the stop brake 1008activates the stopping mechanism which applies a force against the wheel1002 so as to stop the wheel 1002 from being able to rotate. When thehandle 1026 is raised back up, the second end 1022 of the stop brake1008 deactivates the stopping mechanism to allow the wheel 1002 tofreely rotate again.

As set forth above, the braking mechanism 1000 may be used together withany of the carts or racks disclosed herein. In one embodiment, thealready-existing wheels on a wheel base assembly 200, for example, maybe replaced with the wheel and braking mechanism 1000. In addition, thebraking mechanism 1000 can be used with any convention cart, such as asingle-piece cart that does not have a separate wheel base assembly 200.Still in further embodiments of the invention, while the brakingmechanism (including the handle 1026) is shown and described as beingattached to the base 200, it can be instead attached to the frame 100.

With further reference to FIG. 8, the locking mechanism 300 is locatedat one end of the cart 10 and the handle 1026 is located at an oppositeend of the cart 10. However, the locking mechanism 300 and handle 1026can both be located at the same end as each other, or one or both ofthose can be located at any of the four sides of the cart.

Stationary Platform

A stationary platform 1100 may be used in conjunction with a supplytransport device, such as the main body 100 of cart 10, rack 600, rack700, supply cart 800, and/or tray cart 900, and the wheel base assembly200 disclosed herein. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a supply transportdevice 1101 similar to the main body 100 of cart 10 is used(hereinafter, the “transport device 1101”). In this embodiment, thetransport device 1101 may be slidably removed from the wheel baseassembly 200 onto the stationary platform 1100 for temporary holding orstorage.

Looking to FIG. 12, the stationary platform 1100 (hereinafter, the“platform 1100”) has a generally rectangular shape, although any shapethat is useful for a particular application or that corresponds to theshape of a particular cart may be used. The platform 1100 is formed of aframe 1102 having a top surface 1103 on which the transport device 1101is placed. As set forth in FIG. 12, the frame 1102 has two longitudinalsides 1104 and 1106 and two opposing ends 1108 and 1110, although anynumber of sides may be used for a particular application. At least onecross member 1112 may be provided as part of the frame 1102 to provideadditional support to the transport device 1101. The cross member 1112is preferably a bar-shaped member that extends perpendicularly betweeneach of the longitudinal sides 1104 and 1106. Although not illustrated,additional cross members may extend perpendicularly between each of theopposing ends 1108 and 1110 to provide additional support. Thelongitudinal sides 1104 and 1106, opposing ends 1108 and 1110, and crossmember(s) 1112 thus form a rectangular structure having openings 1105formed in the interior thereof. The openings 1105 provide more contactsurface exposure of the transport device 1101 where the platform 1100 isused during a cleaning process, such as being placed inside anautoclaving device. In this way, when the transport device 1101 ispositioned on the platform 1100 in the autoclaving device, more of itssurface area is exposed to provide for better sterilization.

The frame 1102 is generally supported by a plurality of legs 1114. InFIG. 12, the frame 1102 is supported by six legs 1114, although anynumber of legs useful for a particular application or needed to supporta particular size and style of cart may be used. For example, the frame1102 may be support by four legs 1114 at each corner. In FIG. 12, oneleg 1114 is positioned at each of the corners of the frame 1102, at theopposing ends of each longitudinal side 1104 and 1106. Two additionallegs 1114 are positioned at the opposing ends of the cross member 1112to provide additional support. Each of the plurality of legs 1114 isconnected to one of the longitudinal sides 1104, 1106 and/or theopposing ends 1108, 1110, and extends from a bottom surface 1116 of theframe 1102 downward, so as to engage the floor. The legs 1114 may haveany cross-sectional shape known to provide good support for heavyobjects. As illustrated in FIG. 12, each of the legs 1114 has agenerally square cross shape. While not limited to such an embodiment,the legs 1114 may have a length of about 12 inches or less, preferablyabout 10 inches or less. This keeps the platform 1100 sufficientlyelevated off of the ground so as to avoid being contaminated by any dirtor debris that are on the ground.

The frame 1102 further includes at least two side rails 1118 extendingalong each of the longitudinal sides 1104 and 1106. The side rails 1118each have an upright portion 1120, an inwardly turned member 1122 and aninner guide edge 1124. The upright portion 1120 extends perpendicularlyupward from the top surface 1103 of the frame 1102 and forms the outeredge of the side rails 1118. The inwardly turned member 1122 extendsperpendicularly inwardly with respect to the upright portion 1120, sothat the inwardly turned member 1122 is substantially parallel to andspaced apart from the top surface 1103 of the frame 1102. In this way, achannel 1126 is formed between the inwardly turned member 1122 and thetop surface 1103 of the frame 1102.

As shown, the upright portion 1120 spaces the inwardly turned member1122 apart from the top surface 1103 of the frame 1102 so that the innerguide edge 1124 may be aligned with rolling wheel guide assemblies (suchas wheel guide assemblies 140 of FIG. 1) that may be attached to themain body of the transport device 1101. In this way, the inner guideedge 1124 allows the transport device 1101 to be slidably removed fromthe wheel base assembly 200 and on to the platform 1100. The inner guideedge 1124 also ensures that, one positioned on the platform 1100, thetransport device 1101 is not able to slide horizontally relative to thesides 1104 and 1106 of the frame 1102 to prevent it from falling off ofthe platform 1100. Additionally, at least one stop tab 1128 may bepositioned at one end 1110 of the frame 1102 to stop the transportdevice 1101 from moving any further forward once placed on the platform1100. Alternatively, the frame 1102 may be designed without any stoptabs 1128, such that the transport device 1101 may be slidablytransferred onto (and/or removed from) the platform 1110 at end 1108 andslidably removed from (and/or transferred onto) the platform 1100 at end1110.

At least one of the opposing ends 1108 and 1110 of the frame 1102preferably includes a hole 1130. The hole 1130 engages a lockingmechanism on the cart, such as locking mechanism 300 (see FIG. 1), forreleasably locking the transport device 1101 to the platform 1100.Specifically, looking to FIG. 4A, the locking mechanism 300 includes alocking rod 302. Once placed on the platform 1100, the locking rod 302is lowered using a release knob 304, such that the distal end 312 of thelocking rod 302 engages the hole 1130, thereby locking the transportdevice 1101 in place. This helps to further ensure that the transportdevice 1101 is held in place on the platform 1100.

In use, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the transport device 1101 istransported to one end 1108 of the platform 1100 using the wheel baseassembly 200. The transverse front end 244 of the wheel base assembly200 is aligned with the end 1108 of the platform 1100 such that they arein contact. Once the transport device 1101 is unlocked from the wheelbase assembly 200, it is slid from the wheel base assembly 200 onto theplatform 1100. Once the end of the transport device 1101 engages thestop tab(s) 1128, the release knob 304 is lowered, thus lowering thelocking rod 302 into hole 1130 to lock the transport device 1101 intoplace on the platform 1100. The wheel base assembly 200 may then betransported away from the platform for further use.

Referring back to FIG. 12, the side rails 1118 on the frame 1102 of theplatform 1100 help to guide the transport device 1101 onto the platform1100 when it is slidably removed from the wheel base assembly 200. UsingFIGS. 1 and 3 as an example, the guide wheels 142 of the transportdevice 1101 rotate along the guiderails 220 of the wheel base assembly200 as the transport device 1101 is removed from the wheel base assembly200 using handle 130. The guide wheel assemblies 140 support, transport,and guide the transport device 1101 as it slides along the platform 240of the wheel base assembly 200, and allow the wheel base assembly 200 toslide beneath the transport device 1101. As the transport device 1101slides onto the platform 1100, the guide wheels 142 engage the innerguide edge 1124 of the side rails 1118. Specifically, the guide wheels142 are positioned in the channel 1126 to ensure that the transportdevice 1101 is centered on the platform 1100 and held in place. Once thetransport device 1101 is slid all the way onto the platform 1100 andaligned with end 1110, the end of the transport device 1101 comes intocontact with stop tab 1128 to ensure that the transport device 1101 isnot pushed any further over the end 1110. As detailed above, the lockingmechanism 300 is then activated to engage the hole 1130 to lock thetransport device 1101 in place.

In operation, the platform 1100 is stationary. It can also be attachedto a wall or floor. The transport device 1101, which is engaged with thewheel base assembly 200, is rolled to the platform 1100. The transportdevice 1101 is then slidably removed from the wheel base assembly 200and onto the platform 1100. The wheel base assembly 200 may then berolled away for further use.

The platform 1100 may be placed inside of or outside of a clean roomenvironment for temporary holding and/or storage of various carts, suchas transport device 1101. The platform 1100 and wheel base assembly 200provide a system that allows for the temporary holding and storage,support, and transport of various carts in these environments.

Cleaning Device for Wheel Base Assembly

Another aspect of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 14A-B and FIGS.15A-B, relates to a cleaning apparatus, such as a cleaning device 1400,for use on a wheel base assembly as disclosed herein, such as wheel baseassembly 200. The cleaning device 1400 can be used for scraping off orremoving contaminants from the transport device 1101 and/or for applyinga disinfectant, such as an alcohol, to the transport device 1101. Thecleaning device 1400 provides a surface across which the transportdevice 1101 slides when being transferred from the wheel base assembly200 to the stationary platform 1100 or vice versa. The cleaning device1400 contacts the bottom of the transport device 1101 and removes anydirt or debris from the bottom of transport device 1101, or disinfectsthe bottom of the transport device 1101, as it is transferred onto oroff of the wheel base assembly 200. In this way, contamination of theclean room environment may be minimized.

Referring to FIGS. 14A-B, the cleaning device 1400 is preferablyattached to either the front end 244 or the rear end 242 of the wheelbase assembly 200. The cleaning device 1400 should be attached to theend of the wheel base assembly 200 that is opposite the handle of thewheel base assembly 200, so that it engages the transport device 1101 asit is transferred onto the wheel base assembly 200. As illustrated inthe figures, the cleaning device 1400 is attached to front end 244 ofthe wheel base assembly 200. The front end 244 of the wheel baseassembly 200 includes a downwardly-projecting cross member 1402 to whichthe cleaning device 1400 is attached. The cross member 1402 extendsbetween the two longitudinal sides 246, 248 of the wheel base assembly200. In a preferred embodiment, the cross member 1402 extends all theway between the sides 246, 248 up to and adjacent the guiderails 220. Inthis way, the entire bottom surface of the transport device 1101 may bescraped as it is slidably transferred onto and off of the wheel baseassembly 200.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device 1400 may be semi-permanentlyattached to the cross member 1402, such as by nails, screws, bolts, orsimilar mechanical attachment means. In FIG. 14B, the cleaning device1400 is attached to the cross member 1402 using screws 1404. While fourscrews 1404 are illustrated, any number of screws 1404 may be used toattach the cleaning device 1400 to the cross member 1402. In anotherembodiment, the cleaning device 1400 may be attached to the cross member1402 by welding, gluing, and other more permanent attachment means. Inyet another embodiment, the cleaning device 1400 may be removablycoupled to the cross member 1402 so as to allow for cleaning of thecleaning device 1400 components.

The cleaning device 1400 is illustrated in FIGS. 15A-B. In thisembodiment, the cleaning device 1400 is formed of a base 1406 and twocleaning contacts 1408. However, the cleaning device 1400 may includeany number of bases 1406 and cleaning contacts 1408. For example, thecleaning device 1400 may be formed of one base 1406 and one cleaningcontact 1408, or one base 1406 and more than two cleaning contacts 1408.In another embodiment, the cleaning device 1400 may have more than onebase 1406 which together hold one cleaning contact 1408, or the cleaningdevice 1400 may have more than one base 1406 each of which holds onecleaning contact 1408. In yet another embodiment, the cleaning device1400 may not have a base 1406, and the cleaning contact(s) 1408 may bedirectly coupled to the cross member 1402. Alternatively, the cleaningcontact(s) 1408 may be formed integrally with the base 1406 such thatthey are all one unitary piece.

The base 1406 functions to hold each of the cleaning contacts 1408 inplace. The base 1406 has a trough shape with a bottom surface 1410 andtwo upwardly extending sides 1412, 1414, so as to sufficiently hold eachof the cleaning contacts 1408 in place. The cleaning contact(s) 1408 sitwithin the base 1406, supported by the bottom surface 1410 and each ofthe sides 1412, 1414. Preferably, the cleaning contact(s) 1408 extendvertically above each of the sides 1412, 1414, such that a rounded,contacting portion 1416 is exposed at the top surface of each of thecleaning contacts 1408. The contacting portion 1416 contacts the bottomsurface of the transport device 1101 so as to remove dirt and debristherefrom as the transport device 1101 slides across it. While thecontacting portion 1416 is illustrated with a rounded shape, any shapewhich would sufficiently scrape of the bottom of the transport device1101 may be used.

Each of the base 1406 and the cleaning contact(s) 1408 have throughholes 1420 extending through a horizontal thickness thereof whichreceive the screws 1404. These through holes 1420 allow the entirecleaning device 1400 to be secured to the wheel base assembly 200. Inuse, the screws 1404 are positioned in the through holes 1420 and extendthrough the base 1406 and each of the cleaning contacts 1408 and intothe cross member 1402. The screws 1404 hold each of the cleaningcontacts 1408 to the base(s) 1406, and the coupled base 1406 andcleaning contacts 1408 to the cross member 1402.

In one embodiment, the base 1406 is preferably formed of the samematerial as the rest of the wheel base assembly 200, such as stainlesssteel. In one embodiment, the cleaning contact(s) 1408 are formed of anelastically deformable material, such that they can adequately contactthe bottom surface of the transport device 1101. In one embodiment, forexample, the cleaning contact(s) 1408 may be in the form of anapplicator, such as a polyester sponge. The polyester sponge can besoaked with a cleaning agent/disinfectant, such as alcohol, before itsuse. In this way, when the transport device 1101 slides over thepolyester sponge, the bottom of the transport device 1101 may bedisinfected. In yet another embodiment, the cleaning contact(s) 1408 maybe formed as a scraper or a scraping device that is formed of a morerigid material, such as silicone or rubber, to remove dirt or debrisfrom the bottom of the transport device 1101 as the transport device1101 engages the cleaning contact(s) 1408. In one embodiment, thecleaning device 1400 may have more than one cleaning contact 1408, suchas an applicator (e.g., a polyester sponge) and a scraper used together.

The cleaning device 1400 preferably extends vertically above the flattop surface 241 of the wheel base assembly 200, such that when thetransport device 1101 slides over the cleaning device 1400, enoughpressure is applied by the cleaning device 1400 to the bottom surface ofthe transport device 1101 to remove any dirt or debris that may beadhered thereto, or to disinfect the transport device 1101. Although notlimited to such an embodiment, the cleaning device 1400 may extend atleast about 0.5 inches vertically above the flat top surface 241 of thewheel base assembly 200. The base 1406 may be flush with or below thetop surface 241 of the wheel base assembly 200. When the transportdevice 1101 is positioned on the top surface 241 of the wheel baseassembly 200, it no longer rests on the cleaning contact 1408 so as tonot put any unnecessary pressure on the cleaning contact 1408. This alsoallows the user to service the cleaning contact 1408 (such as bycleaning with an alcohol wipe if the cleaning contact 1408 is formed ofa more rigid material) when the transport device 1101 is positioned onthe top surface 241 of the wheel base assembly 200. Alternatively, thebase 1406 and/or the cleaning contact 1408 may be removably coupled tothe cross member 1402 to allow for their quick release so they can beremoved for cleaning or replaced.

In yet another embodiment, a cleaning device 1400 may also be attachedto the stationary platform 1100 in the same manner the cleaning device1400 is attached to the wheel base assembly 200. In this way, dirt anddebris on the bottom of the transport device 1101 may be removed, or thetransport device 1101 disinfected, once when the transport device 1101is slidably removed from wheel base assembly 200, and again when thetransport device 1101 is slidably transferred onto the stationaryplatform 1100.

Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings should be consideredas illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The inventionmay be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not intendedto be limited by the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of theinvention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, itis not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosedor the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, allsuitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention.

1. A stationary platform for supporting a supply transport device,comprising: a frame having at least two longitudinal sides, a first endand a second opposing end, and a top surface and a bottom surface; and aplurality of legs extending from the bottom surface of the frame tosupport the supply transport device on the frame, wherein the supplytransport device is slidably received on the top surface of the frame.2. The stationary platform of claim 1, further comprising at least onecross member extending perpendicularly between the at least twolongitudinal sides.
 3. The stationary platform of claim 2, wherein theat least two longitudinal sides, the first end and the second opposingend, and the at least one cross member form a rectangular shape havingopenings in a center thereof.
 4. The stationary platform of claim 1,wherein the plurality of legs includes at least four legs, each of whichis positioned at each end of the two longitudinal sides.
 5. Thestationary platform of claim 2, wherein the plurality of legs includesat least two legs positioned at each end of the at least one crossmember.
 6. The stationary platform of claim 1, further comprising atleast two side rails extending along each of the two longitudinal sidesof the frame.
 7. The stationary platform of claim 6, wherein each of theat least two side rails includes an upright portion, an inwardly turnedmember, and an inner guide edge forming a channel to receive the supplytransport device.
 8. The stationary platform of claim 7, wherein thesupply transport device includes a wheel guide assembly that is receivedin the channel.
 9. The stationary platform of claim 1, wherein the firstend or the second opposing end includes a stop tab to prevent movementof the supply transport device in a direction parallel to the twolongitudinal sides.
 10. The stationary platform of claim 1, wherein thefirst end and/or the second opposing end has a hole formed therein forengaging a locking mechanism on the supply transport device.
 11. Astorage and transport system, comprising: (a) a supply transport device;(b) a stationary platform, comprising: a frame having at least twolongitudinal sides, a first end and a second opposing end, and a topsurface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of legs extending from thebottom surface of the frame to support the supply transport device onthe frame, wherein the supply transport device is slidably received onthe top surface of the frame; and (c) a wheel base assembly comprising aplatform and a plurality of wheels attached thereto, wherein the wheelbase assembly is configured to transport a supply transport device tothe stationary platform, and wherein the supply transport device isslidably removed from the wheel base assembly to the stationary platformfor temporary holding or storage.
 12. The storage and transport systemof claim 11, wherein an end of the wheel base assembly is aligned witheither the first end or the second opposing end of the frame of theplatform so as to slidably transfer the supply transport device from thewheel base assembly to the stationary platform.
 13. The storage andtransport system of claim 11, wherein the stationary platform furthercomprises at least two side rails extending along each of the twolongitudinal sides of the frame that provide a channel to receive thesupply transport device.
 14. The storage and transport system of claim13, wherein the supply transport device includes a wheel guide assemblythat is received in the channel when the supply transport device isslidably transferred from the wheel base assembly to the stationaryplatform.
 15. A wheel base assembly for transporting a supply transportdevice, comprising: a wheel base having a top surface, a bottom surface,and two opposing ends, wherein the top surface of the wheel baseassembly supports the supply transport device; a plurality of wheelscoupled to the bottom surface of the wheel base; a trough-shaped basecoupled to at least one of the two opposing ends of the wheel base; andat least one cleaning contact positioned within the trough-shaped base,wherein the at least one cleaning contact extends vertically above thetop surface of the wheel base.
 16. The wheel base assembly of claim 15,comprising at least two cleaning contacts.
 17. The wheel base assemblyof claim 15, wherein the at least one cleaning contact is formed of apolyester sponge.
 18. The wheel base assembly of claim 15, furthercomprising a downwardly-extending cross member positioned at one end ofthe wheel base and extending between two longitudinal sides of the wheelbase, wherein the trough-shaped base is coupled to thedownwardly-extending cross member.
 19. The wheel base assembly of claim15, wherein the trough-shaped base and at least one cleaning contact arescrewed to the wheel base.
 20. The wheel base assembly of claim 15,wherein the at least one cleaning contact includes a rounded contactingportion for engaging a bottom surface of the supply transport device.